Meth Bills Draw Opponents In General Assembly

Kentucky lawmakers return to Frankfort next week, and opponents are already lining up to fight a pair of prescription drug bills awaiting legislative action.Pseudoephedrine, which is found in most over-the-counter cold and allergy medicines, is a key ingredient in illegally manufactured methamphetamine. And with the number of meth labs exploding in Kentucky, two bills requiring prescriptions for medicines containing pseudoephedrine have been introduced in Frankfort. The Kentucky Medical Association favors prescription requirements, but its former President, Dr. Donald Neel, does not.“With the increasing costs of medical care it’ll cost from $60 to $100 for a patient to come in to get a prescription for a pseudoephedrine product that they’re used to self-medicating with, and it’s been perfectly well accepted all of this time," he says.The bills, sponsored by Rep. Linda Belcher and Sen. Tom Jensen, are awaiting action in the House and Senate Judiciary committees. The 2011 legislative session, currently in recess, resumes next Tuesday.